PEOPLE disposing of furniture at recycling centres in Wiltshire will need to dump their items in new bins.

People are being advised of new areas to dispose of a range of ‘upholstered domestic seating’ at centres, including in Salisbury and Amesbury.

The extra bins have been placed following guidance from the Environment Agency, which means certain items can no longer be sent to landfill.

Salisbury Recycling Centre. Photo: Google

Instead, they must be disposed of by incineration.

In Wiltshire, these items will be sent to facilities that create energy from waste.

The new rules have been put in place because some upholstered seating may contain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) that are harmful to the environment if sent to landfill.

POPs can be found in the fire-retardant chemicals used in the padding, linings and coverings of upholstered domestic seating.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are chemicals that accumulate and remain in the environment for long periods and can have harmful impacts on wildlife and the wider environment if sent to landfill.

Upholstered domestic seating includes items such as:

Sofas

Armchairs

Home office chairs

Futons

Pouffes, upholstered foot stalls

Upholstered dining chairs

Bean bags

Sofa and floor cushions

Cllr Nick Holder, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for environment and climate change, said: “These new requirements have been introduced to protect our environment and it’s important we comply.

“We’re doing what we can to limit any inconvenience for residents that visit our recycling centres or use our collection service.

“Through our actions we’ll mitigate the environmental impacts of Persistent Organic Pollutants locally and ensure that we continue to deliver on our Business Plan priority of Wiltshire being a place where we all take responsibility for the environment, while reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.”